ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Construction has started at Kirtland Air Force Base for a new digital laboratory for advanced wargaming and other simulation and analysis work involving laser weapons and space vehicles.
The Air Force Research Laboratory' s $6 million Wargaming and Advanced Research Simulation Laboratory is intended to spur strategies involving innovation, speed and partnerships within the laboratory, said Col. Eric Felt, director of the Space Vehicles Directorate.
“With digital engineering we can explore more concepts faster, without waiting for the “real thing” hardware,” Felt said in a statement.
According to Teresa LeGalley, the Directed Energy’s program manager for wargaming modeling and simulation, the WARS Lab will include an auditorium with over 90 workstations with capability to collaborate with other Department of Defense agencies.
The lab is expected to be ready for occupancy in the spring of 2023, and will replace a facility more than 15 years old, officials said.